There's a Place for You (ABANDONED PROJECT)

Chapter 1/Book Pilot

A/N: If this goes well, I'll continue uploading the story. Hope someone finds it entertaining.

Day 1346. It was dark. It was cold. It was raining. It was everything Arthur hated.

Sitting in the tall, wet grass, staring through a pair of shitty binoculars and waiting for the car to roll out of the driveway. Not far from wear he was crouched, a camera swiveled slowly on it's axis, taking in it's surrounds with a slowly blinking red light. Cameras were the least of Arthur's worries. There were quite a few surrounding the perimeter of the estate, but with one silent bullet, all footage would mean nothing. The sound of wind and waves was overwhelming and listening for the garage door to shut and the guest to leave via his very fancy Kia Sportage was almost impossible. Almost.

Arthur glanced over at the shore not far from his hiding spot. His getaway boat sat idle, waiting for him to come back and take them both out of this god forsaken place. But there Arthur sat, watching the bullet-proof panes ever so carefully. So carefully that he almost missed the sound of a car revving up and the goodbyes of two friends. One laughed, as if they had anything to be happy about. Ironic, he thought. After a painstakingly long conversation, the car finally pulled out of the driveway. Arthur put his binoculars away and prepared himself. Showtime.

He watched as the homeowner walked inside before standing carefully and swiftly running to the back door. Having already unlocked it earlier, Arthur quietly slid the glass door open just enough to sneak inside, then quickly closed it again. He was in an dark kitchen with the only light coming from the moon. He reached into his jacket and gripped the sleek metal object the fit so familiarly in his hand. Arthur made no effort to hide his footsteps as he walked over to the stunned silhouette of the homeowner before pulling the trigger.

__________________________________________

Just another slow day in a bright room surrounded by bright halls and bright smiles. I didn't hate it, necessarily. I just wasn't used to it. Even after 20 years, the cheery attitudes of my fellow Guides still freaked me out a little. I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling while listening to the unbearable buzz of fluorescent lights, when August burst into my room.

"Hey. Lazy McGee. You trying to miss lunch on purpose?"

I sat up and looked at her. August, with her rich brown eyes, olive skin, full figure. What wasn't to like about her? I visibly shook the thoughts from my head and cleared my throat.

"No. Sorry, I didn't realize what time it was. I'll be right down."

August nodded with a silent understanding and shut the door. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and looked at myself in the mirror across the room. August had been here for almost a century, so it was no wonder she fit like a glove. Some of us newer residents, on the other hand, were still trying to understand the optimism and lively demeanors. After our years around the reality of mortality, living up here was a complete 180.

As long as I played my cards right, I'd be here for an eternity. Which certainly is better than being bound to Earth forever. No matter how long I stayed here, though, I'd probably never get used to it. I was always the cynical, realist metalhead. I dyed my hair black, wore black clothes and makeup, listened to the "Devil's music" (as my parents called it) and hardly ever smiled. All the dye had faded from my hair by now, revealing the shit-brown locks I was blessed with, and they didn't have makeup at the FG Living Facility. The only option for clothes we had were saintly white robes or... walking around naked. I never chose the latter, but there was a 14 century fellow who lived a few floors above me that was happy to air out his ... whenever he got the chance. Everyone hated it, but it wasn't against the rules so the Elder Guides couldn't do anything about it.